Coffee Chats may be a perk for Bedford residents

BEDFORD — The Police Department will be opening its door for morning coffee chats for senior citizens and the community.

The Coffee with a Cop and Senior Citizen Talk program begins Tuesday, March 11, from 7 to 9 a.m., at the Bedford Safety Complex, 55 Constitution Drive, off Route 101.

The program, which takes place every second Tuesday of the month, is open to everyone in the community to come have a cup of coffee, and get familiar with the department and personnel.

“It’s a tool for us to reach out to the community so they can get to know the officers, and we can get to know people in the community,” said Officer Danielle Nightingale.

Bedford police officers will be on hand to discuss people’s concerns, topics relating to public safety and crime prevention tips. Officers will attend Coffee with a Cop on a rotating basis so people can get different views on a variety of issues. People will also be invited to bring up topics of concern and offer suggestions on how to make Bedford a better place to live.

“We’d like everybody and anybody to come. We will talk about frauds, telephone and Internet scams people may be victims of and anything else they may want to discuss,” said Nightingale. “Any resources we can provide to them, we’ll be happy to provide.”

The Coffee with a Cop program is part of the Police Department’s community outreach.

Residents, business owners and other concerned citizens are also invited to Meet The Chief the second Tuesday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Bedford Safety Complex. Police Chief John Bryfonski will be on hand to discuss matters of interest and concern, or people can just stop by the station to say hello.

The Police Department also sends out traffic and public safety alerts through Nixel. The service is free and people may sign up at www.nixle.com to receive cell phone and email alerts.

In addition, the Police Department’s website offers tips for residents and parents, including keeping safe while using social media. Smart Cards information for safely using LinkedIn, Google, Facebook and Twitter is provided by the FBI. The information includes tips on updating your social media account profiles, social network do’s and don’ts and application settings, all geared to minimize risk.

For more information on the Police Department programs and safety tips, visit www.bedfordnh.org, click on Departments, then Police Department; or call 472-5113.